https://www.financialstorytelling.com/

James C Foo Leong - The Financial Storyteller, Singapore (2026)

08/09/2026

CJ Takes the Jargon Out Of… OPEX

Revenue growth gets a lot of attention.

But revenue alone does not determine whether a business becomes more profitable.

The costs of running the organisation matter too.

That is where OPEX comes in.

OPEX stands for operating expenses. These are the day-to-day costs of operating, selling and supporting the business, such as sales and marketing, rent, salaries, insurance, software, utilities and travel.

For those who have seen him in my work, Count Jargon®, or CJ for short, is one of the characters from the Financial Storyverse®, the story-led learning world behind Once Upon a Balance Sheet: How to Make Better Decisions, Drive Growth and Increase Profits. He was created to take the jargon out of finance and business concepts without taking away the meaning.

CJ’s translation:

OPEX is money spent to keep the business running from one day to the next.

Why should leaders care?

Because OPEX affects operating profit.

A business may grow revenue and still earn less profit if selling and administrative expenses rise even faster.

The objective is not simply to cut OPEX.

Some operating expenses build capability, support customers, strengthen controls and enable future growth.

The real question is:

What is driving the spending, what value does it create, and how does it change as the business grows?

Revenue shows what the business brings in.

OPEX shows what it takes to keep the business running.

CJ’s takeaway:

OPEX is money spent in operating, selling and supporting the business. Managing it well means removing waste without removing the capabilities that create value.

What financial term would you like CJ to take the jargon out of next?

27/08/2026

CJ Takes the Jargon Out Of… CAPEX

CAPEX stands for capital expenditure.

Formally, capital expenditure is money spent to acquire, improve or extend the useful life of long-term assets that are expected to benefit the business beyond the current accounting period.

For those who have seen him in my work, Count Jargon®, or CJ for short, is one of the characters from the Financial Storyverse®, the story-led learning world behind Once Upon a Balance Sheet: How to Make Better Decisions, Drive Growth and Increase Profits. He was created to take the jargon out of finance and business concepts without taking away the meaning.

Here’s CJ’s translation...

CAPEX is money the business spends today on assets that are expected to support operations, growth or efficiency for several years.

Why should leaders care?

Because CAPEX affects cash flow, future profitability and the capacity of the business to grow.

A company may report healthy profit while spending heavily on new factories, equipment, technology or vehicles.

That investment may strengthen the business. It may also place pressure on cash.

Leaders therefore need to look beyond the income statement and ask:

Is this investment essential?
Will it increase capacity, improve efficiency or reduce risk?
What return is expected?
How long will it take to recover the investment?
Can the business fund it without weakening its financial position?

But here’s the catch...

Not every large payment is CAPEX.

Routine repairs, maintenance and day-to-day operating costs are generally expenses because they support the current period rather than create a long-term asset or extend an asset’s useful life.

The distinction is important.

CJ’s takeaway

CAPEX is not simply money spent on assets. It is a leadership decision about where the business places its cash today in the hope of creating value tomorrow.

What financial term would you like CJ to take the jargon out of next?

21/08/2026

CJ Takes the Jargon Out Of… Depreciation

Leaders often look at profit to judge performance.

But profit can fall even when no cash has left the business during the period.

One reason is depreciation.

Formally, depreciation is the systematic allocation of the depreciable amount of a tangible asset over its useful life.

Accurate, yes.

Immediately clear to every leader? Probably not.

For those who have seen him in my work, Count Jargon®, or CJ for short, is one of the characters from the Financial Storyverse®, the story-led learning world behind Once Upon a Balance Sheet: How to Make Better Decisions, Drive Growth and Increase Profits. He was created to take the jargon out of finance and business concepts without taking away the meaning.

Here’s CJ’s translation...

Depreciation spreads the cost of an asset across the years in which the business expects to use it.

This helps match the cost of using the vehicle with the revenue it supports over those years.

Why should leaders care?

Because depreciation affects reported profit, performance measures and investment decisions.

A business may generate healthy operating cash flow while reporting lower accounting profit because depreciation is recognised as an expense.

But here’s the catch...

Depreciation is not the same as setting aside cash to replace the asset.

The useful life and residual value are also estimated. If those assumptions are unrealistic, reported profit may not reflect the true economic cost of using the asset.

Depreciation tells leaders how an asset’s cost is being allocated.

It does not tell them whether the business has the cash, or the plan, to replace that asset when the time comes.

CJ’s takeaway

Depreciation helps leaders see the cost of using long-term assets, but sound leadership also requires planning for their eventual replacement.

What financial term would you like CJ to take the jargon out of next?

12/08/2026

A business can be growing, reporting healthy profits and winning new customers, yet still struggle to pay its obligations on time.

For leaders, that is an important reminder that strong performance on paper does not always mean the business has the short-term financial capacity to keep operating smoothly.

This is why working capital management is important.

Formally, working capital is the difference between a company’s current assets and current liabilities.

For those who have seen him in my work, Count Jargon®, or CJ for short, is one of the characters from the Financial Storyverse®, the story-led learning world behind Once Upon a Balance Sheet: How to Make Better Decisions, Drive Growth and Increase Profits. He was created to take the jargon out of finance and business concepts without taking away the meaning.

Here’s CJ’s translation...

Working capital shows whether a business has enough short-term resources to meet its short-term obligations.

Imagine a distribution business.

It has $300,000 in cash, inventory and customer receivables. These are its current assets.

It also owes $220,000 to suppliers and other short-term creditors. These are its current liabilities.

Its working capital is therefore:

$300,000 − $220,000 = $80,000

That suggests the business has some short-term financial breathing room.

But here’s the catch...

Positive working capital does not automatically mean the business is financially healthy.

A large amount may be trapped in inventory that cannot be sold or receivables that may not be collected quickly.

This means leaders should not stop at the headline number. They need to understand the quality of the assets behind it.

The number matters, but the story behind the number matters more. To understand that story properly, leaders need to look at both working capital and cash flow.

That financial clarity becomes a leadership advantage when it helps them anticipate pressure early, challenge assumptions and take action before a short-term funding issue becomes an operational problem.

CJ’s takeaway

Where have you seen strong-looking working capital hide an underlying cash flow problem?

09/08/2026

CJ Takes the Jargon Out Of… Accruals

A company hires a consultant in December. The work is completed before year-end, but the invoice arrives in January.

Should the cost be recorded in December or January?

December, because that is when the company received the work and incurred the cost. Recording an accrual ensures that December’s profit reflects what actually happened, even though the payment will be made later.

For those who have seen him in my work, Count Jargon®, or CJ for short, is one of the characters from the Financial Storyverse®, the story-led learning world behind Once Upon a Balance Sheet: How to Make Better Decisions, Drive Growth and Increase Profits.

Here’s CJ’s translation…

The business has already earned it or used it, but the cash has not caught up yet.

Accruals place income and expenses in the period to which they genuinely belong. This prevents the timing of an invoice or payment from creating a misleading picture of performance.

Profit tells us what has been earned and incurred.

Cash flow tells us what has actually been collected and paid.

CJ’s takeaway

An accrual records the financial effect now, even when the cash moves later.

That is how financial clarity becomes a leadership advantage.

What financial term would you like CJ to take the jargon out of next?

09/08/2026

I am honoured to share that I have been selected as a Spirit of Enterprise (SOE) Award 2026 Honouree under the Established Companies category.

The SOE Award is conferred on honourees on a complimentary basis.

Entrepreneurship is not a straight road. There are good days, difficult days, uncertain turns, and many moments where you simply have to keep showing up for the work you believe in.

For me, the work has always gone beyond building a business.

It has been about helping non-finance professionals, managers and leaders understand finance with more clarity, confidence and practical meaning.

I have always believed that financial statements are not just reports filled with numbers. They are stories about a business told in numbers. When people understand those stories, they can ask better questions, make better decisions and turn financial clarity into a leadership advantage.

That belief has shaped my work in Financial Storytelling, the Financial Storyverse®, my programmes, and my book, Once Upon a Balance Sheet: How to Make Better Decisions, Drive Growth and Increase Profits.

I am deeply grateful to my clients who have believed in me, trusted my work and allowed me to bring Financial Storytelling into their organisations. Your trust has given me the opportunity to serve your learners in a meaningful way.

I am also thankful to the many participants who have attended my programmes over the years. Your questions, reflections, laughter, feedback and encouragement have kept me going more than you may realise.

Every time someone tells me that finance finally feels clearer, less frightening or more useful, it gives me fresh encouragement to keep going. It also reminds me that the mission of financial clarity is worth pursuing.

This recognition belongs not only to me, but also to every client, learner, partner, friend and supporter who has been part of the journey.

Thank you to Spirit of Enterprise for this meaningful honour, and for recognising entrepreneurs who continue to build, serve and contribute to the wider community.

I receive this with gratitude, and with renewed encouragement to keep doing the work.

31/07/2026

CJ Takes the Jargon Out Of… EBITDA

EBITDA sounds impressive.

Analysts use it.
CEOs quote it.
Investors discuss it.

But what does it actually mean?

EBITDA stands for Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation.

That is a mouthful.

For those who have seen him in my work, Count Jargon®, or CJ for short, is one of the characters from the Financial Storyverse®, the story-led learning world behind Once Upon a Balance Sheet: How to Make Better Decisions, Drive Growth and Increase Profits. He was created to take the jargon out of finance and business concepts without taking away the meaning.

Here’s CJ’s translation:

EBITDA is a way of asking:
How profitable is the core business before financing, tax rules and accounting allocations?

That can be useful when comparing businesses with different loans, tax situations or asset structures.

But here is the catch.
EBITDA is not cash flow.

A company can show strong EBITDA while customers have not paid, inventory is piling up, loan repayments are due, or equipment needs replacing.

So EBITDA tells part of the story.
Cash flow tells whether the story can continue.

That is why leaders should not look at EBITDA in isolation.

Always ask:
Where is the cash?

Because profit may look healthy. EBITDA may look impressive. But cash pays the salaries, suppliers and shareholders.

CJ’s takeaway:
EBITDA removes some accounting noise, but it does not replace business reality.

For leaders, the lesson is not simply to understand the term. It is to know what questions to ask before relying on it to make a decision.

What financial term would you like CJ to take the jargon out of next?

03/07/2026

Finance becomes clearer when you can see the story behind the numbers.

That is the heart of Financial Storytelling.

That is why I created the Financial Storytelling Masterclass: Driving Financial Impact.

This 2-day public workshop is inspired by my book, Once Upon a Balance Sheet: How to Make Better Decisions, Drive Growth and Increase Profits.

The book became an Amazon bestseller and Amazon No. 1 Hot New Release. It also won the 2026 International Impact Book Awards in the Business category under Management Accounting, and was recognised as a 2026 International Book Awards Finalist in Business: General.

📅 17 to 18 September
📍 Lifelong Learning Institute, Singapore

For leaders, managers, professionals, and non-finance professionals who want to understand finance more clearly and make better decisions.

No prior finance or accounting background is needed.

Super Early Bird rate is available for payment received by 31 July.

PM me for the programme brochure and registration link.

James C Foo Leong
The Financial Storyteller
Creator of the Financial Storyverse®

James C Foo Leong - The Financial Storyteller

08/09/2026

27/08/2026

21/08/2026

12/08/2026

09/08/2026

09/08/2026

31/07/2026

03/07/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request